It is winter where I live and I have been having trouble keeping my coop dry. I add new bedding every couple days but it always seems wet. I now noticed all 9 of my (almost 1 year old) chickens are sneezing. What is the best way to help them before they get worse? I am going to try apple cider vinegar in their water. Is there any other natural remedies or is there a product at Tractor Supply Co. that I could try?? Thank you! I also wanted to note that after reading about many other sneezy chickens and all their other symptoms, I went to look closer at mine. It's interesting that mine do not have runny/waterey eyes or noses. They don't seem to have a cough or different sound than normal (although I am a first time chicken owner and have not had a problem thus far) and they are eating and drinking normal, plus running around the yard happily. It's just the sneezing I hear when walking around with them. It's not a dust issue as it is very cold, wet, rainy and snowy here in MI. Some of the birds wattles and combs are a bit shrunken and discolored and their feathers aren't as perfect as they are in the summer but I assumed this was all due to the winter temperatures and lack of sunlight...
Best remedy is fresh air. I don't know your situation but most new chicken owners think their chickens will be cold in winter and close up the coop. The result is extremely high humidity and a perfect environment for pathogens. They need as much if not more ventilation in winter as in summer. Shoot for 1 sq. ft. of opening per bird.
